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The 2014 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference

Never in human history have people been more connected than they
are today — nor have they been more thoroughly monitored.
Over the past year, the disclosures spurred by former National
Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have drawn public
attention to the stunning surveillance capabilities of the American
intelligence community, and the unprecedented volume of data they
collect from hundreds of millions of people around the world. But
the growth of government surveillance is by no means restricted to
spies: Even ordinary law enforcement agencies increasingly employ
sophisticated tracking technologies, from face recognition software
to “Stingray” devices that can locate suspects by sniffing out
their cellular phone signals. Are these tools a vital weapon
against criminals and terrorists — or a threat to privacy and
freedom? How should these tracking technologies be regulated by the
Fourth Amendment and federal law? Can we reconcile the secrecy that
spying demands with the transparency that democratic accountability
requires?

This inaugural Cato Institute Surveillance Conference will
explore these questions, guided by a diverse array of experts: top
journalists and privacy advocates; lawyers and technologists;
intelligence officials … and those who’ve been targets of
surveillance. And for the more practically minded, a special Crypto
Reception, following the Conference, will teach attendees how to
use privacy-enhancing technologies to secure their own
communications.